Heroes
by Aurora2361
Summary: She needed a hero to help her cope; But did her hero really catch the villian?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Law and Order: CI. I do, however, own any original characters in this story. Please ask permission to use! Thank you!

Chapter One

She could hear the soft footfalls approach. She tried to gather her small, naked body closer into itself, but found that she could not will her limbs to move. It had been… days? She wasn't sure about anything anymore. But it had been some time since he'd last been in to her dungeon to violate her and spray her with cold water. She didn't care anymore. Her body was wasting away in itself, deprived of rest, food, and water. At first, she was scared that her appearance no longer appealed to him, and she'd be taken to the next level of hell that he had planned for her. She was covered in blood, bruises, and other vile things that she no longer cared for.

She heard the sharp intake of air, "Oh…" the voice whispered as the footfalls entered her private hell.

"What did you expect, Bobby?" a female voice answered, "He told us it had been almost a week since he'd last seen her. And you know that he doesn't leave them alive."

"I know, but," he began as he stepped almost to her feet, "I thought we would make it in time…"

'Are they talking about me?' she thought to herself, 'Do they think that I'm dead?'

Through her foggy eyes, she could make out a tall man kneeling beside of her, looking her up and down. He shone a flashlight at her feet, and slowly shone it up the length of her body.

"She has abrasions around her ankles, possibly from a binding. Her body is covered in bruises. She's been raped numerous times, it would seem."

The female voice acknowledged him in what she could tell was disgust. She tried to will herself to move, or speak to make them aware she was alive. But she found she could only allow her eyes to pool with the remaining amount of moisture she had in her body.

The man beside of her continued trailing the light over her chest and torso.

"Her hands have been bound at some point. Multiple bruising around her neck. Doesn't seem –"

Suddenly, the light froze on her face. She blinked her green eyes against the sudden brightness, allowing for her tears to spill.

"Oh my God! Eames!"

The light was suddenly dropped, and she felt something cover around her neck and lower body. She wasn't sure what it was, but the silky lining felt good against her chapped skin. Funny what she would treasure after all her violent past…

"What is it?" a click-clack of running shoes hurried over to join the man.

Finally, she found she could voice a thought… the only one that she had been screaming since she found herself in the small room.

"Help… me…" she whispered weakly.

Everything happened so fast after she confirmed to them that she was alive. People were yelling into what she could only assume were phones or talkies. The man that she had seen kneeling beside her was no longer there, and that frightened her for some reason. She wanted him back… he hadn't believed that she was a corpse.

"Is there a bus outside?" she heard frantically above her.

"Yes, but they can't get down the steps with the stretcher."

She felt hands grabbing around her back and knees, tugging her into an upright position. She moaned in protest. Was this a dream? Was it he again, back to force himself on her? If it was, she knew she didn't have the strength to force him off.

"It's alright." The male voice soothed as he picked her up and cuddled her into his broad chest, "I'm with the police, and I'm going to get you out of here."

A weary smile crossed her face as her eyes drooped dangerously close to blacking out, "My hero." She whispered.

The silky covering was wrapped tighter around her naked body as he stood. He began to walk quickly, if not run, out of this drab, dreary prison. Her legs swung back and forth, in motion with his enormous steps, almost as if she were a rag doll. She could tell that he was trying not to jostle her around as he ran the length of the corridor, and up a flight of steps. She could feel every bruise and would break into her as he began another flight of steps. She closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" the deep voice asked quietly as he stopped on a landing.

She dug her nails into his shirt, "Help.. me." It seemed as if her mind had gone stupid. It was the only sentence that she could utter that made any sense.

She felt him take in a deep breath as he resumed his ascent, "It's okay now. I'm going to help you."

She knew he was not the man that had hurt her before, but she couldn't help but try to wriggle away from the large hands that were splayed protectively around her shoulders and knees. The touch made her skin crawl.

"Shh… It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He reassured as they reached the top of the steps, and he had managed to open a gray door.

"Help me." She sobbed into his chest, the tears now flowing across her swollen face.

"I know… I know." He whispered as he instinctively pulled her closer to him.

She could smell the fresh air cutting through the staleness as they approached another door. It was open and white with the sunshine pouring in. She shut her eyes against the light, and nuzzled her face into the strong chest.

The noise of outside was almost more than she could stand. The roar of police sirens and numerous radio communications threatened to split her head in two. She began to shake uncontrollably, and her stomach took a dangerous lurch. She moaned, trying to will the bile back down her throat.

"She's going into shock!" he boomed as she cried out.

Suddenly, she was taken from her warm cocoon, and onto a cold sheet. The silly top that she had been covered with was threatened to be pulled away by unseen hands, but she held to it firmly.

"Let her keep it. Take her, and I'll get it later."

A mask was placed over her nose and mouth, forcing cold dry air down her throat. As they began to wheel the stretcher over the bumpy terrain, she forced her eyes open to see her savior standing at her feet. His chocolate eyes were looking down at her in concern, and he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He was so tall that he towered over her small frame. She didn't realize it until she saw him walk calmly to her side and place her hand between his two warm hands in a friendly comfort.

She had been reaching out to him.

"Don't worry." He said as he smiled warmly, "I'll see you soon."

And with that, her hand was placed down by her side, and she was pulled away from him. The stretcher was pulled roughly into the back of the waiting ambulance. As the doors were slammed shut, she caught one final glimpse of him. He calmly placed his hands in his pockets and turned to go back into what had been her cell for God only knew how long.

Her eyes slipped closed as the EMT's worked over her, the scream of the ambulance announcing her tragedy for the entire city to hear. But all she could picture were the warm, cocoa eyes looking after her in concern. And the promise that she would see him again… Soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own characters of LOCI, but I do own the original character and story idea. )

Chapter Two

Saved or Damned?

She could hear a soft beeping in the background. It sounded so far away, but it was steadily becoming louder and louder. She was afraid to open her eyes – would she wake up on the floor of the cell again? Had she dreamed of being rescued? Had that man with the warm eyes really saved her from the hell she had known for… how long?

Her eyes fluttered open, only to be greeted by blackness. It was the dead of night, and the moon was shining through the window at her side. She reached a hand slowly up to rub her face, but she found some resistance. She looked down to see a small tube bandaged to the top of her hand. She took in a short breath as the bandage went against the needle, shooting pain up her wrist. She lowered her hand, and lay back against the stiff pillows, looking up at the ceiling.

What had happened? How had she ended up here? She searched her mind in vain, trying to find answers to her questions. The last thing she remembered was seeing his face as they closed an ambulance door. But then, she tried to remember the simple things… her name, where she was from, and found she couldn't remember.

She turned on her side, forcing the screams back down her throat as her broken body argued with her movements. Why couldn't she remember? Had her terror really scared away any former self that she could identify? Tears filled her eyes, and stifled sobs worked through her as she closed her eyes. She tried to rest, hoping that she would awaken and find herself in her own life, away from the hurt she had known.

* * *

"She woke up in the middle of the night last night. I'm not sure what happened, but she was quite distressed according to her heart monitor."

"Hmm… She has had enough to be worried about, I would say." A deep male voice answered.

She heard the scratching of a pen across paper, and the closing of a binder of sorts. A person sighed loudly enough to cut across the beeping monitor at her side.

"This is true. I'm surprised that she's not catatonic."

She slowly opened her eyes to see the man that had saved her and a doctor standing a few feet away from her bedside. She was rolled on her side, curled into a ball. She wasn't sure if she should let them know that she was awake. She didn't want to face what was ahead of her.

"I'll stop by later to see if she's awake." He whispered as he looked over at the huddled mass under the blanket.

He caught a glimpse of emerald green, but then they quickly broke away.

"Or I may not have to." He said, and walked over to a chair to sit by her side.

"Please remember what we spoke about previously, Detective." The doctor mentioned as she left the room.

A silence enveloped them as she continued to ignore his stare. She could feel his eyes on her, and she pulled the small blanket protectively over her body. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but he had seen enough of her broken body to last a lifetime.

"Are you cold?" he asked as he leaned closer.

She shook her head, and quickly looked over at him before dropping her gaze again.

"Do you remember me?"

She looked up at him again, and felt heat in her cheeks. She nodded her head, and played with the silky end of her blanket.

"Are you feeling any better?" he whispered.

To this, she absently rubbed the end of her blanket, staring at the trail her fingers were making. She gave a small shrug, and chewed on her bottom lip.

He cleared his throat, and stared at her face for a moment. He was toying with the idea of questioning her about her ordeal, but was afraid of pushing her too far. She looked over at him, and saw a small smile spread across his lips. She stared at him for a second, the warmth of his smile causing her to grin back at him.

"My name is Detective Goren. Could you tell me your name?"

To this, her smile faded, and tears pooled in her eyes. She slowly shook her head and pulled tighter into herself.

"I…It's okay. I understand if you don't want to tell me."

She stared back up at him, her eyes pleading for him to understand. She would love to tell him her name. Why couldn't she voice what she was thinking? She then looked back at the blanket in her hands.

_'So, what's your name?'_

She furrowed her eyebrows together, confused and annoyed that he would ask the same question. Confused, she looked up to see that she was no longer in her hospital bed, covered in her hospital gown.

The room was dim, the patrons of the bar bustling through the packed room, trying not to spill their drinks. She was absently stirring an amber drink on the bar, her red fingernails drumming against the countertop.

She was dressed in a slinky black top, the spaghetti straps slipping off of her shoulders. Cool fingertips drew the strap up the length of her upper arm, and then back down to her wrist.

She smiled at how coy he was playing. She blushed at her predicament. She hadn't planned on hooking up (it was her first night out in the big city), but she grinned at her dumb luck.

She bit her lip, staring at her drink, "Beth. My name is Beth."

Suddenly, the fingertip turned into a cold hold pressing against her wrist. Lips pressed into her ear, a vile hot breath dropping down the skin of her throat, freezing her in fear.

"Well, Beth, I'm going to make your nightmares come true!"

She jerked her head up from her drink, and her head swam as the bartender in front of her melted into a sick oil painting. She swung her head to the source of the vile voice, and saw a skeleton of sorts push his body closer to her. She screamed and tried to push him away from her, only to find the bones cutting into her hands. His cackling laugh pierced her soul.

She struggled to pull her wrist out from the bony fingers, only to realize that he had her hands pinned down to her sides. His eyes glowed a violent red, and drool seeped out from the skull's teeth like a dog. She screamed out with all of her might and closed her eyes, trying to will the evil away. She thrashed her legs violently as he picked her up over his shoulder. She rolled from side to side, only finding she was cutting her stomach against the sharp shoulder blade.

"Please!" she cried as he carried her out of the bar. She looked at the other patrons, begging for any help that they could offer. They only stared back at her, melting into puddles, eyes glowing red.

She shrieked, knowing what her future was going to bring her. She couldn't go back to that room!

"Help me!!" she cried out as she shut her eyes once more, feeling warm fingers grasp her shoulders.

"Hey! Hey! It's all right! You're in the hospital!" he said with a gentle shake.

She recognized Detective Goren's voice, but was afraid that she would see the same glowing eyes.

"Please…" she sobbed, "What did I ever do to you?!"

She opened her eyes, cloudy with her tears. She saw the detective sitting on the bed beside her, facing the opposite way so he could face her. His auburn eyes were flitting back and forth across her face, trying to grasp what it was that had upset her so. Her breath was coming in quick gasps as she realized that she had been hallucinating. He dropped his hands slowly from her shoulders, and watched her intently, waiting for another outburst.

She blinked against the growing tears, and felt her breath hitch in sobs.

"Why?" she whispered.

She knew that he wouldn't be able to answer her. But she watched with a growing desperation as he slumped his shoulders. His brown eyes softened as he struggled to answer her humanly.

"Why?" she pressed, "Why? WHY?!" she screamed out, covering her head in her hands.

She could tell that she had made him uncomfortable with her outburst. Her chest heaved with heavy sobs, and she couldn't quite catch her breath. She didn't know how one person could feel so many gloomy feelings at once and still feel like an individual.

She felt the bed shift under his weight as he moved slowly closer to her. She wanted to be comforted so badly, and turned to the only person that she knew… A perfect stranger. She pulled her hands from her face, crawling to him. She buried her face in his chest, splashing his jacket with her tears. He rested a hand on her shoulder, and rubbed her arm slowly, and a little unsure. Finally, she had quieted down enough that she could hear the soft beating of his heart. She began to take small steady breaths with each beat, calming herself enough so that she could find her voice.

"Beth…" she whispered.

His hands froze at her elbow, and he pushed her back so that she could face him.

"Beth?" He asked, "Is that your name?"

She stared at him stupidly for a moment, trying to register what he had asked. Did she tell him a name? Plus, Beth sounded right, but then again it didn't.

Goren noticed the confused look on her face, and got up to retrieve his black folio. He opened it, pen ready.

"Do you think that Beth is short for your full name? Elizabeth, perhaps?"

She sniffed, and shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure about anything anymore.

Suddenly, a white handkerchief was thrust into her hands. She took it slowly, keeping her eyes on her lap. She blushed slightly at his gesture, and lightly dabbed her eyes and nose. She unfolded it, seeing initials monogrammed into the corner. She ran her fingers over the "R" and "G", admiring the soft green threads that held the name of her rescuer. She held it up at him, pointing at the letters.

"Hm? You want to know what the initials stand for?" he asked as she handed the handkerchief back.

She nodded, and turned her face away shyly.

"They stand for my name. The "R" is for Robert, and the "G" is for Goren. But, like you, I go by a shortened first name. Bobby."

She nodded her head at him, thinking to herself if it was really her name. But she guessed that she couldn't go by "Jane Doe" forever.

He cleared his throat, and pushed the small cotton piece back into his breast pocket. He wrote a few more things down in the folio in his hands, but she couldn't tell what it was.

As he finished and he had snapped it shut, a nurse had come in with a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

"Sorry, Detective, but she needs to get some rest."

Goren shook his head, placing the pen into the side of his file, "Not a problem. I'll let myself out."

Beth stared at him for a moment, then whimpered like a small child. Goren turned at the door, his eyebrows raised in response. When he saw her emerald eyes wide with a sort of fear, he smiled warmly at her.

"You won't be alone for long. I promise that I'll be back… Beth."

She sank deeper into her pillows as he left, feeling foolish at her behavior. She barely knew this man, but she was treating him like a long-lost friend. Maybe it was because he was her only friend. She didn't know anybody, and the feeling of being totally and utterly alone made a deep hole form in her stomach. Her eyes began to shut, and she turned to the only picture in her mind that could comfort her…

Those deep, chocolate eyes.

* * *

Thanks to those of you that have R&R'd! I really appreciate it!

Aurora


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Remembrance

She dreamt about eyes. A strange thing really, but she saw these eyes roving around the four corners of a room, watching her. Water was dripping steadily in a corner somewhere, the dampness making her bones ache. She was once more naked and lying on a filthy mattress on the floor. The smell of it and the stale air made her retch violently.

"Don't you find your accommodations adequate?"

She jerked herself upright, trying to cover her chest protectively. The room swam in her vision. Was it from alcohol? Her eyes jerked around the four corners of the dark room, but she couldn't find the source of the voice. Her breath came faster as she screamed,

"Who are you?"

The voice scoffed at her pathetic plea, "Am I that forgettable? After the good times that we've had?"

Not understanding his meaning, she looked at her body, seeing the blood and bruises between her legs. Her eyes widened in terror as realization hit.

"Then maybe I should refresh your memory!"

And she was rammed into the ground, being brutally violated once again. She didn't want to see his face, but his eyes burned a hole into her memory. Chilling… a smoldering ice blue.

* * *

Her eyes flew open with a start, and she pushed a fist into her mouth to deaden her screams. She took in a shaky breath, and stared out the window to see a sliver of sunshine cutting through the evening sky. She closed her eyes, but immediately opened them again. The blue pierced through her eyelids and straight to her soul.

"Did she say anything to you yesterday?" A voice whispered.

She heard someone sigh, "Very little. I would say that she's going through post-traumatic stress."

The voices were muffled, like they were somewhere far away. Beth happened a look towards the door, seeing Detective Goren and her doctor conversing on the other side of the door.

"She seems to not remember anything. And what she does remember appears to be very violent."

Beth watched as the doctor sighed once again, folding her arms over her chest.

"Which is why I have to strongly oppose to you wanting to question her and run a rape kit."

Beth's spine went rigid as she heard 'rape kit' repeat over and over in her mind. What exactly did that mean?

"If I see that I'm pushing her too far, I'll stop." The Detective reassured as he pushed a pen into his breast pocket.

"Which is what I'm afraid of. By the time you see you've went too far, it will be too late. You may end up damaging her more than before." The doctor argued.

"Look," he tried to reason as he scratched the back of his head, "the most important interview is with someone that has survived. I'll know when I've went to the limits."

She could hear the soft tapping of a foot on the ground, and looked up to see the doctor shrug in reluctance and wave him in.

"Please notify us immediately if she starts to…"

Goren nodded and pushed his way through the door.

Beth turned back on her side facing the window, and didn't acknowledge his presence in the room. Her eyes were focused on the sunset and skyline outside of her window. The chair beside of her bed scraped as it was pulled closer to her bedside. She heard the detective let out a long breath as she continued looking out the window.

He cleared his throat as she looked absently out the window. Soft colors of purple were creeping up the sky. The brightness of the sun contrasted so dramatically to the darkness that was threatening to slowly consume her.

"I love to watch sunsets…" he began.

She nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't look over at him. She was frightened that he would see she remembered parts of her attack, and she didn't want to recall them. At least not out loud.

"The beauty of the colors mixing together. How delicately the night envelopes the city, even if the city doesn't sleep."

She pulled her knees up closer to her chest and held herself tightly, even with the pain.

"I think it's upsetting when people take advantage of what the elements bring us; especially to do wrong onto others."

Beth closed her eyes and felt her warm salty tears spill over her cheeks. Had that been what happened to her?

"Look," he whispered to her back, "I know that you remember what happened. Do you think that we can talk about it?"

Beth licked her dry lips and took in a shaky breath, "I don't remember…"

She heard him push the chair back, but not angrily or out of frustration. His heavy footfalls bounced around the room as he walked to the window and stood in front of the glass. He held his hands behind his back, watching the last ounce of sunlight squeeze through the skyline. She watched him with interest as his eyes twinkled with the sunshine, a grin creeping over his face. He looked over at her and whispered,

"So pretty."

She nodded, and stared at him intently. She couldn't quite figure him out. She knew that he wanted to get her interview over with so that he could get on with the rest of his life. Maybe that was why she didn't want to tell him what she remembered. As soon as she told him, he would leave and never return.

But why would he want to come back? She was damaged… spoiled goods. He had seen her broken beyond repair, probably never to be like she was before.

He watched her as she struggled with her thoughts. His smile slowly faded, and his eyebrows knitted together in concern. He approached her bedside and kneeled down in front of her face, filling her vision with those chocolate eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide. Could he possibly know what she was torturing herself with?

He looked down at the floor, and then back up to look at her.

"Do you think that you can tell me how you remembered your name?" he asked quietly.

She choked down sobs as she recalled her visions from the previous day. She nodded and whispered, "I was in a bar. I remember all of the people around me. Someone had asked me for my name…" she choked out as a tear slid out of the corner of her eyes.

"Had you been there before?" he asked quietly, searching her face.

"Uh… no. It was my first night out. I think that I have just moved here."

He nodded his head, and then looked down at the floor. He looked back up at her, trying to decide if he should ask her for more.

"Do you remember who asked you for your name?"

She covered her face with a hand, and choked off a few sobs, "A man, I think."

"Did he buy you a drink? Or was he trying to ask you out?"

She shook her head, "He had pushed the strap of my shirt back up on my shoulder. But I thought that he was flirting! I should have made him stop!!"

"Hey," the detective said firmly as he pulled her hand from her face, "this is not your fault."

"I didn't stop him! Why didn't I stop him, or tell him to get lost?!" she cried hysterically.

Detective Goren let her have her moment of 'what if's' before he gently touched her shoulder.

"Beth," he whispered as her sobs stilled, "we can't explain much of human nature. He may have seen that you were new, and maybe a little lonely, and he took advantage of it. To trap you."

"I should have known…" she moaned as images of what could have been floated in her mind.

"No, no, no." he said as he shook his head, "You couldn't have known. This guy is a sick twist. I'm afraid that if you would have snubbed him, we would have ad a vastly different meeting."

She was comforted somewhat, but still felt questions of the unknown reach out to her.

"Do you remember what happened after he asked you your name?"

She shook her head, not ready to confront the prison that she had lived in with him yet. A piece of dirty blonde hair fell onto her cheek, soaking of her leftover tears. He removed his hand from her shoulder, and gently pushed her hair back from her face. She could see that it had left a dirty smudge, and she felt of rush of self-consciousness.

"Umm…" she stammered, "Do you think that… uh… I'll be able to get a shower soon?"

Goren looked down at the floor, avoiding her eyes for a moment. She could see that he was struggling to find a way to answer her question.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

"Uh… We, uh…. Have to run some tests. First."

"Tests?" she questioned, "What tests?"

He looked over at the heart monitor as he heard it accelerate.

"It's okay…" he tried to assure her, but she angrily pushed his hands away and sat up to face him.

"No! It's not okay! What are you trying to say that will have to be done to me?!"

"We don't have to talk about it right-" he tried to answer as he stood, but she cut him off.

"But I want to! Why do we always have to talk about what you want to talk about?!"

_'Such anger…' a voice whispered._

"What did you say?!" she screamed, looking hysterically around the room.

"Beth?" she heard faintly, but couldn't tell from where.

She was staring out a passenger window of a car, watching as the streetlights sped past overhead. But it seemed surreal. It almost seemed as if a fog was covering her eyes, and she couldn't see anything clearly.

"You would be, too." She mumbled groggily. She looked over to see a profile, but couldn't quite make him out.

The voice chuckled beside of her, "Trust me… You'll have plenty to be angry about momentarily."

"Wha…?" she began, but found that her eyes had suddenly grown very heavy. Her forehead touched the cool window, and her eyes rolled in her head. She felt a bony hand cup one of her breasts and squeeze it roughly. She tried to protest and push it away, but couldn't find the strength to fight off his advance.

And with a few blinks of her eyes, she was sitting back in her hospital room, Detective Goren bracing himself against the rail of the bed. She looked down to see that she was covering her chest, and dropped her hands quickly to her sides. His eyes were trying to read her face, the terror that had washed over her.

"You saw him, didn't you?" he whispered, his eyes softening.

Suddenly, a few nurses followed by the doctor swarmed into the room like flies.

"I warned you that this would happen! Did you see how fast her heart was beating?! You could have given her a heart attack!" the doctor spat as she pushed him out of the way.

He moved to the foot of her bed, and looked almost ashamed of himself. Beth shook her head as he turned to leave, and protested vehemently that he stay.

He set his black folio down by her feet, and smiled as something stung her at her wrist. She looked down in time to see that doctor withdraw a needle from her IV, and felt a sudden warm blanket drape her from head to toe. She sat looking at him drowsily, not taking her eyes off of him.

"Don't leave me… Please?"

She hated sounding so pathetic. Especially to someone that was a complete stranger.

The doctor snapped her head up to look at Beth, her eyes crinkling into a forced smile, "Of course he'll stay, dear."

She jerked her head back to him, her eyes narrowing, "At least until you fall asleep. Right, Detective Goren?"

He nodded as he smiled at Beth, looking like a kid that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Of course." He answered.

She settled more comfortably into her pillows, and welcomed the warmth that made her eyes droop. As the veil of darkness helped to drift her into sleep, she saw the doctor leading the detective out, wagging her finger at him the whole way. Beth couldn't help but smile as she pictured the petite, small woman chastising the large man. It couldn't help but make Beth go to sleep with a smile on her face.

This one's going pretty quick. Stay with me (I write long chapters, I know!). Thanks to all of those that have R&R'd!

Aurora


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